Life sentence for Suffolk killer after 'brutal' attack on man he claimed had fallen over

A killer has been jailed for at least 15 years for murder after carrying out a "sustained and brutal attack" which left his victim with 62 injuries to his head.

Warren Atkinson, 41, killed 37-year-old Steven Povey at accommodation on Norwich Road in Ipswich where they both lived in July 2021.

Mr Povey was found unconscious with a large wooden coffee table on top of him. He had significant visible facial injuries, said police.

Atkinson appeared at Ipswich Crown Court on Tuesday where he was jailed for life, with a minimum term of 15 years. He was convicted of the killing last month.

A post-mortem examination found that Mr Povey had multiple areas of blunt force trauma to the head and neck and sustained 62 separate sites of injury to the head and body in total.

Atkinson was arrested and his clothing was seized. His hooded top, t-shirt, shorts and trainers were all found to have Mr Povey’s blood on them.

The court heard that the injuries sustained by Mr Povey were more consistent with blunt force assault and were not typically seen as a result of stumbles or falls.

Evidence was found of bruising to the brain and a possible subarachnoid haemorrhage, indicating a traumatic injury. He also had internal bruising to the neck and a fractured larynx, suggesting a stamp or kick to the throat.

Atkinson did later admit that he assaulted Mr Povey but claimed that he was acting in self-defence.

Det Ch Insp Tam Burgess said: “All the evidence points to the fact that Steven Povey was the victim of a sustained and brutal assault. Put in the starkest of terms, he was beaten to death.

“Atkinson’s version of events that Steven kept falling over and all he did was to try and help him up, did not ring true from the outset. His later admission that he did in fact assault him but in self-defence, was also without foundation."

Det Ch Insp Burgess said Atkinson had failed to show any remorse, he said: “I can only hope that the verdict of the jury and the sentence handed down today provides Steven’s family with some form of closure and they are reassured justice has been achieved for him."

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